Chapter Seven
Moya
A Short Time Later
John Crichton stood on Moya's command deck standing face to face with the massive front screen on which a planet rotated lazily below them. The planet was wrapped in thick clouds that obscured everything from view a single large point of brightness in the cloud in the northern hemisphere indicated the location of the planets capital – and only – city. A host of spacecraft of every description filled the planets orbit with small shuttles and flyers buzzing around amongst them. The spacecraft swarm was a familiar scene to him – even if the ships in orbit were all of unfamiliar – and to his eyes somewhat strange – configurations – it was something you would see in orbit of practically any inhabited world in the Interstellar Alliance.
They had entered orbit of this planet just under half an hour – arn John mentally corrected himself for umpteenth time – ago. While she could have jumped out of hyperspace on her own they'd come in through the local jump gate, which most ships had to use to jump in and out of hyperspace, and spent a quarter arn cruising leisurely into orbit, not giving any outward sign that they were in a hurry. Since entering orbit they had been trying to get permission from the planets orbital control to come down to the surface. If he listened carefully John could hear Zhaan and Rygel still speaking to orbital control but he wasn't really that interested in what they were saying.
Instead he simply watched the ships sharing there orbit. There were so many designs around here and he noticed uneasily that most seemed to have at least some weapons emplacements. Seeing the weapons sprouted by most of the ships here made him feel more than a little vulnerable and exposed since Moya had no weapons of her own not even light pulse lasers to defend herself. Instead for defence Moya relied on her speed and manoeuvrability, her ability to open jump points quickly and a low level gravimetric defence field similar to those that had been employed by a number of alliance races before they'd successfully retro engineered the energy shield technology of the First Ones. Sitting here in orbit as they were Moya was severely handicapped in the defence department without weapons.
D'Argo came into the command at that moment in time having just returned from making sure Aeryn Sun was still securely confined in her cell, if the Peacekeeper were to escape now she would have a good chance of getting off Moya and alerting the Peacekeepers to there location. Fortunately she was secure and had spent the whole time just glaring at D'Argo while having the normal arrogant superior look of all Peacekeepers on her face. D'Argo had itched to go into that cell and teach her some humility but he'd restrained himself they wouldn't get information out of the Peacekeeper if he beat her unconscious and possibly caused serious injury so he'd just glared back while he'd checked to make sure the cell was secure.
Coming into the command D'Argo took in the scene before him. Zhaan and Rygel were still talking to orbital control and looked to be making progress getting them permission to go down to the planet. John Crichton for his part was standing looking at the main screen taking in the ships sharing the orbit of the storm wracked commerce planet with them. Though he was no expert on Human – or even Sebacean for that matter – body language it was obvious the Crichton was feeling uncomfortable probably about the fact that most of the ships around here mounted lasers and Moya didn't. Being on an unarmed ship was obviously not something he was used to but then as a warrior he'd no doubt spent most of his time on a warship surrounding by thick armour and gravimetric shielding and having at his control powerful weapons systems. Though they knew nothing about ISA technology and weaponry D'Argo was willing to gamble that it was very powerful at least equal to Peacekeeper and Scarren weapons if not stronger going on the advanced nature of John's ship. D'Argo understood what he was feeling all to well he shared it. He would take travelling even on a small warship to travelling on a leviathan any day.
Quietly he walked towards John. The Human must have heard him approaching and turned to look in D'Argo's direction acknowledging his presence before looking back out at the space around the ship.
"You're feeling vulnerable aren't you John," D'Argo asked softly coming to a stop beside him.
"Is it that obvious," John asked.
"If you know what to look for," D'Argo replied. "You and I were both out of our element here. We're both soldiers we belong on the deck of a warship not an unarmed ship like a leviathan."
"I'm also a scientist D'Argo but I understand where your coming from," John said in agreement. "I don't like being on an unarmed ship. Even the Farscape has weapons and she's only a modified scout ship."
"What kind of weapons, how powerful are they," D'Argo asked. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to." John considered how to answer for a couple of moments.
"I'm not comfortable answering that question at this point in time D'Argo," he admitted. "I don't know you well enough yet." D'Argo nodded in understanding knowing full well that if he was in John's position he would be cautious about discussing the technology on his ship with what was essentially a group of strangers. Still he couldn't help but feel a hint of disappointment that John hadn't told him what kind of weapons his ship was armed with.
For a moment he thought about what little they'd been able to find out about John's ship. Pilot had been scanning it since just after their escape from the Peacekeeper prison convoy and he hadn't been able to find out that much about it. Moya's internal scanners were having difficulty penetrating the hull even though the ships stealth system as far as they could tell was switched off. But what little Pilot had learned had indicated that the Farscape was a very advanced ship – and all he'd really learned was that the ships hull armour was organic in nature and possibly had the ability to adapt to different weapons types so to better withstand the energy of incoming weapons and reduce there effectiveness. Pilot had also learned that the Farscape had two directed energy weapons of unknown kind located on the front of its engine nacelles.
Before either he or John could speak again Zhaan and Rygel finished there conversation with the head of traffic control and Zhaan walked over to inform them.
"Orbital control has given us permission to go down to the surface of the planet," she informed them. "Pilot's preparing a transport pod as we speak." Zhaan paused unsure what to say next. "John I would suggest that you actually come down to the surface in the transport pod with us. Your ship might attract to much attention."
John thought about that for a moment. Zhaan was right the Farscape was so different in design and construction to the ships buzzing around this place that it might well be a good idea to go down to the planet in the transport pod.
"Very well," he said at last. "But I will put my ship on stand by for automatic launch just in case we have to make a quick getaway."
"A wise precaution," D'Argo agreed. "We might need your ships weapons to get past the Peacekeepers if they show up. Assuming of course that the weapons on your ship are powerful enough to damage Peacekeeper ships."
"They probably are strong enough," John replied evasively while internally smiling. If what he'd seen so far in this part of the galaxy was anything to go by then the pulsed fusion weapons on the Farscape would be powerful enough to inflict heavy damage upon most Peacekeeper vessels – assuming of course that the Peacekeepers didn't have superior technology to everyone else which was a possibility. And even if they did John could still be sure that the Minbari-designed weapons would be powerful enough to damage a Peacekeeper warships defences. Still John hoped he wouldn't have to use the Farscape's weapons since it would reveal too much about his ships capabilities and by inference the capabilities of ISA weaponry to Moya's crew, the Peacekeepers and anyone who happened to be watching. That wasn't to say that he wasn't prepared to use them, he was.
"What are we going to do about the Peacekeeper," D'Argo asked.
"She's secure in her cell D'Argo," Zhaan replied. "She should not be able to get out and Pilot will watch her."
"That will have to do then," D'Argo said reluctantly.
"Attention the transport pod is ready," Pilot abruptly announced from the clamshell on the wall.
"We should go," Zhaan said.
*****
Orbital Control Room
That Same Room
The Peacekeeper special directorate disrupter quietly left the orbital control room for the commerce planet and headed back to his quarters. Here he was employed officially as a security guard and now his shift was over and he was going back his quarters. In reality he kept an eye on what happened what undesirables were doing what out here close to the hotly contested region referred to as the Uncharted Territories – though they were actually charted.
Quickly he reached his quarters and secured the door and windows before quickly setting up his communications equipment then switching it on.
"Disrupter 297 to directorate the fugitive leviathan Moya has entered orbit of this planet," he said into the comm unit.
*****
Peacekeeper Cruiser Kraymor
A Short Time Later
"Officer Crais," Lieutenant Veraz said coming up to where Tauvo Crais was standing looking out the windows at hyperspace swirling by outside the cruiser.
"Yes," Tauvo asked turning to face him.
"We've received a transmission from the Special Operations directorate. A disrupter assigned to the commerce planet in the Thakeni system has reported that Moya has entered orbit there and is preparing to send a transport pod down to the planet." Tauvo hid a smile. What wonderful luck, Tauvo thought, were only a few sectors away.
"Adjust course lieutenant. Take us to Thakeni maximum speed. Alert our commando squads to prepare for ship to ship boarding action and possible ground retrieval operations."
"Yes sir."
A few moments later the Kraymor came around and manoeuvred onto the jump beacon for the Thakeni system. Her powerful engines came up to full power and the Peacekeeper cruiser charged towards her new objective intent on running down and capturing her prey.
